Meat and veg

Mum was well enough to go to her church service yesterday morning, for the first time in weeks.  She enjoyed it, but it tired her out completely and she had to go to bed as soon as she got home.  She's seeing her GP today, for the latest blood test results and to discuss the next phase of the GP's plan for adjusting her meds.  Sis will be taking her, as usual.

I used the turkey legs and wings from the bargain reduced price fresh turkey we bought after Christmas to make a stew at the weekend.  Cooked the legs and wings in stock made from the carcass in the slow cooker first, then took them out to cool.  Chopped the meat up and put half of it back into the slow cooker, along with lots of veggies and herbs and half a packet of stuffing mix.  Added dumplings near the end, it made 4 portions....well, 5 actually, as husband had seconds yesterday, the remaining 2 portions will be lunch for husband today and tomorrow.  He's intending to work in the garden and will need a hot lunch.  The other half of the turkey I'm making a pie with - turkey, mushroom and leek, with a savoury crumble topping, we'll have half tonight and the rest will be frozen.

The butcher we used to get a bulk buy of meat from 2 or 3 times a year (can't afford that anymore) currently has a special offer on minced beef, 5kg split into 500g packs for £16.99, so £1.69 per 500g.  Their mince is lovely, local and very tasty, so we'll go and get that today.  Will also get some belly pork slices or pork loin chops, both of which we've had before and they're really nice too, as well as being very good value.  We've got chicken breast fillets and thighs, pork mince, turkey, beef and gammon all from Christmas, both sliced and diced, along with some smoked haddock and cod bought on YS (yellow sticker, reduced as on use by date for overseas readers) all in the freezer already, so have enough meat and fish to last us for probably 6 months.  Oh, and a pack of smoked salmon, 2 or 3 packs of sausages and the same of bacon rashers too, just remembered those.

We're starting to plan what we'll be growing in the way of veg for this year.  Definitely NO cabbages, sprouts or broccoli - whilst we like them all, husband just can't seem to keep them covered well enough to stop the cabbage white butterflies, followed inevitably by caterpillars, from getting in, and that just puts me off completely.  We're going to try growing asparagus for the first time - I know we won't get a crop this year, but as I love asparagus, it will be worth the wait.  I tell husband every year there's no need to grow so much of everything, we don't have to feed the entire hamlet!  But he does anyway....well, not this year, I shall make sure of that, he needs to have less work not more.